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Neocon Nuttery
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Title: The Genesis of the Smears (JOHN COLE ASKS ABOUT FREEPER ICUWHATUDO)
Source: John Cole's Balloon Juice
URL Source: http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=8849
Published: Oct 11, 2007
Author: John Cole
Post Date: 2007-10-11 14:47:37 by aristeides
Keywords: None
Views: 3072
Comments: 176

The Genesis of the Smears

By: John Cole October 11, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Appears to have been an aide to Mitch McConnell, according to the Communists at ThinkProgress:

ThinkProgress has obtained an email that congressional sources tell us was sent to reporters by Sen. McConnell’s communications director Don Stewart.

On Monday morning, Don Stewart sent an email with the following text to reporters:

Seen the latest blogswarm? Apparently, there’s more to the story on the kid (Graeme Frost) that did the Dems’ radio response on SCHIP. Bloggers have done a little digging and turned up that the Dad owns his own business (and the building it’s in), seems to have some commercial rental income and Graeme and a sister go to a private school that, according to its website, costs about $20k a year ‹for each kid‹ despite the news profiles reporting a family income of only $45k for the Frosts. Could the Dems really have done that bad of a job vetting this family?

In the email, Stewart attacks Democrats for allegedly doing a bad job “vetting this family.” That effort to blame Democrats for the smear campaign seems to have swayed some reporters, as CNN this morning claimed that the real story is that “the Democrats didn’t do as much of a vetting as they could have done.”

What is so surprising about all of this is not that all of the stuff in the leaked email has turned out to be completely false- that is just amusing. What is surprising is THE SPEED with which the “citizen journalists” ran with this, and echoed everything the leaked email did- just like good little soldiers. It was viral in no time.

I would not be surprised if Malkin, Limbaugh, and some folks at the NRO were not in the coterie of ‘reporters’ this was emailed to, nor would I be surprised if they got it from a friend of a friend (despite pretending to be different from the beltway crowd, all of the above are insiders to the Washington game, despite their protests otherwise). I’d like to know a little more about the freeper who ran with this in the first place, giving Michelle and others their “in” to run with the story without having to be the ones to take the blame for doing it. Who is icuwhatudo? What is her/his real identity? How is this person connected to the McConnell aide or the reporters who received this list. Or was it just a coincidence? If I prided myself in being a citizen journalist, those are the questions I would be asking.

And does anyone have any pictures of his living room?

Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread  

Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 78.

#2. To: All (#0)

from USAToday

Bloggers said the house was worth more than $400,000. It turns out it was bought for $55,000 in 1991 in a Baltimore neighborhood where "there were drug dealers and prostitutes on our street," Bonnie Frost said. Halsey Frost, a woodworker, did most of the renovations, which are "still not done," Bonnie said.

Bloggers said Graeme and Gemma go to private Park School, where tuition costs about $20,000. Graeme gets a scholarship, while Gemma's brain injuries were so severe that the city pays to educate her at a school for children with disabilities, the couple say.

From Daily Kos: They web published the home address of SCHIP family - what you can do

robin  posted on  2007-10-11   14:59:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

So let me get this straight:

a. Are the Frosts not owners of a greatly appreciated home ( let's set aside Bonnie's desire to have more renovations done and the fact that she has concrete counters that are as expensive as granite) on which they could have taken out a second mortgage for $20,0000 to fund a tax deductible Health Savings Account and to buy a high deductible health insurance policy for the past 4 years?

b. Are the Frosts not owners of commercial property worth $160,000 which brings in rental income, which also has enough cash equity in it to allow the Frosts to sell and make a profit to supplement their "meager" middle class life style?

c. If the Frosts had lived in a state that has a means test for folks that qualify for tapping SCHIP funds, do you believe the Frosts would have passed?

d. If you were running a private school in Baltimore with its well documented poverty and crime and visible minority children living in dire circumstances, would you give the Frosts' not 1 but 2 children access to the small number of free ride scholarships at your school? Are the Frosts' children living in "special challenging" circumstances that they are needy for a "leg up?"

e. Did Mr. and Mrs. Frost decide to thrust themselves and theiir family into the public stage or did the big bad reich wing evil bloggers seek the anonymous Frosts family and drag them out to front and center stage?

scrapper2  posted on  2007-10-11   15:18:29 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

second mortgage for $20,0000 to fund a tax deductible Health Savings Account

Second mortgages come with a monthly payment, and you are assuming they could find private insurance. With such serious preexisting conditions it is very doubtful the Frosts would find a private health care provider for any price. And if they did, the insurance company probably wouldn't pay for all the necessary therapy. This happened to a middle-class family I know with one autistic child.

Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons. It sounds like the Frosts were grateful and willing to share how the SCHIP program helped them, but they are no longer giving interviews because of the GOP hate machine.

robin  posted on  2007-10-11   16:15:45 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

a. Second mortgages come with a monthly payment, and you are assuming they could find private insurance. With such serious preexisting conditions it is very doubtful the Frosts would find a private health care provider for any price. And if they did, the insurance company probably wouldn't pay for all the necessary therapy. This happened to a middle-class family I know with one autistic child.

b. Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons. It sounds like the Frosts were grateful and willing to share how the SCHIP program helped them, but they are no longer giving interviews because of the GOP hate machine.

a. I'm not sure what you are talking about. What "pre-existing" condition did any of the Frost Family members have prior to their auto accident that prevented Mr. and Mrs. Frost from buying a health insurance policy for the family? Once you have a health insurance policy in place, they can't refuse to cover medical issues that come as a result of a car accident. That's why responsible people buy health insurance policies especially when they head a family with minor dependents - to protevct against catastrophic health eventualities that would drain a family's assets otherwise.

Your friend's austic child is not relevant to the discussion about why I believe that the Frosts were irresponsible in the way they did not prepare their family in 2003 against an out-of-the-blue health emergency, which unfortunately subsequently happened.

Monthly payments for second mortgages that amount to $20,000 are peanuts - I've been there so I know of what I speak - in 2003, the Frosts would have been given an excellent rate because of the equity in their highly appreciated residence as well as the equity they had in their commercial property.

b. Scholarships in private schools are generally given to minority children living in dire straights who deserve a leg up - basically scholarships represent a way for a private school to "give back" to their community to help disadvantaged children in their midst whose financial circumstances are very different from their full pay student parent body. The Frosts should have better scruples than to apply for this type of scholarship because it deprived 2 children who were truly needy.

As for why the Frosts will no longer give interviews - they thrust themselves into the kitchen but they did not like the fires. Maybe they should have thought about the risks of grabbing a microphone and taking center stage before they did what they did. Hindset is 20/20 vision.

With regards to the "GOP hate machine" - oh yes, righhhht, for sure, most definitely - the "problem" is the GOP not the Dems who used a child to promote their agenda and it's not the Frosts who scammed a system meant for impoverished children because they consciously took risks with their children's future and lost when Fate stepped in.

Lalalalalala...

scrapper2  posted on  2007-10-11   20:13:19 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

The idea that when someone doesn't have health insurance before a catastrophic illness that they are then doomed for the rest of their lives, unable to ever acquire any, is not a very productive notion for society as a whole. It certainly is not compassionate.

Many Americans had health insurance while employed, but after losing their jobs, and COBRA runs out, they are without any, until they find another employer who has good health insurance benefits.

The point of my friend's experience with an autistic child was to show you that even with current health insurance, companies refuse claims regularly. As was also explained well in the film, "The Rainmaker".
Government intervention has its place. Taking the time to sue a health insurance company often ends up with a dead patient before a positive answer is given. Our nation's current health care system is inadequate and getting worse due to rising unemployment due to offshoring and outsourcing.

As I already posted, there are all kinds of scholarships.

You are very eager to defend the GOP hate machine. Why is that?

Health care as enjoyed in Europe is quite good and economically efficient.

robin  posted on  2007-10-11   20:29:11 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

COBRA

And who can afford COBRA?

Zipporah  posted on  2007-10-11   20:35:35 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

And who can afford COBRA?

No one unemployed, that's for sure.

The deceptiveness going on by a certain poster got on my last nerve. He's just spewing the Bush/Rush line, amplifying the hate machine's usual spew.

We have a society for one reason: to make life better for our citizens. We are the only country left in the industrialized world that doesn't have national health care. We may have the BEST health care, but if 40 percent of your citizens can't afford it, what the hell is the value of that?

Scrapper's constant drumbeat to demonize the victim strikes me as disingenuous. He's spinning like crazy. He seems to know what the family paid for its counter tops. My brother, just as an example, gets free Vermont marble from a quarry. They end up with chunks they can't sell wholesale, they're too small, so they are happy to have him tote them away in his F-250. He uses these scraps to put together patios, walkways, counter tops, etc. To claim they cost $20,000 is just ignorant and SPINNING. He's a GOP mole, IMO. I wonder how much he gets paid. As most of you know, the GOP pays people to haunt various political sites to spew the GOP line. He's here an awful lot.

Mekons4  posted on  2007-10-11   22:31:00 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

He's a GOP mole, IMO. I wonder how much he gets paid. As most of you know, the GOP pays people to haunt various political sites to spew the GOP line. He's here an awful lot.

He posts the same kind of lengthy posts with more information than you would think a solitary individual could come up with in the short time between his posts that BAC did.

In BAC's case, I strongly suspected some organization was providing him with his posts.

aristeides  posted on  2007-10-12   13:55:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

ghostdogtxn  posted on  2007-10-12   16:00:06 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I can understand disagreeing on an issue like health care.

I can't understand joining in the attack on the Frosts.

aristeides  posted on  2007-10-12   16:05:27 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

ghostdogtxn  posted on  2007-10-12   16:14:47 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

But you know, this is a funny place. Once you get stuck in a position or an opinion, it's hard to back off of it. That's what I meant by "nobody apologizes". I think in this case Scrapper2 jumped to a conclusion and has been fighting a rear-guard action to defend that original leap of faith, and IMO, beyond the point where it's become indefensible.

Ghost and christine, thanks for votes of confidence to assure everyone that I'm not a mole. Sheeesh! Is that the latest insult that the 3 Amigos for a Utopian Leninesque World have come up with today? - my goodness, what next? - wild imaginations, they are not short of, I have to give praise where praise is due.

But ghost I'm not having any second thoughts about my position on the Frost parents. IMO, they were negligent in not providing a basic high deductible insurance policy to protect their family against catastrophic events and they had the assets ( 2 properties) and the means - they could have gotten a real sweet deal for a line of credit of $5000 to start up in HSA in January, 2004 so as to get a cheaper rate on the high deductible insurance premium - and HSA's are tax deductible, a win/win.

But they chose to throw caution to the wind - they rolled the dice and they lost and lost terribly. They got lucky because Maryland's laws were lax and a means test was not required to access SCHIP funds. If they resided in other states that require means testing [ I think means testing should be a requirement in all states] the Frosts would have failed. There's no doubt about it - they had too many assets. But what is unforgiveable in my mind is that the Frost parents let their child be used as a pawn by the Dem Party to promote a political agenda. The Frosts knowingly let their son be USED by political hacks exposing him to public scrutiny. Would you do that to your kid?

With regards to the reich wingers going after the Frosts - I don't defend their tactics - I never have - but how does Michele Malkin's distasteful conduct excuse the Frosts' negligence and irresponsible behavior and bad decisions? It doesn't and you know it and aristeides and robin and Mekons4 know it too - that's why those 3 are trying so hard to kick up dust on the issue and blame the evil reich wingers for this very sad situation. The reich winger party partisans are doing exactly what the left winger partisans would do if the situation were reversed, which is take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself and to go for the jugular. The Frosts parents chose to come out of the shadows - the reich wingers did not pull them out in front of the microphones - as soon as the Frosts consented to go public,they became fair game.

Consider that if there had been no glaring irregularities in the Frost Family story, the Dems would have been successful in using a little boy ( how is that noble?) to promote their expanded SCHIP platform agenda - ie. to buy votes of middle class families earning up to $83,000 in the run up to the 2008 election. Come on - you think the Dem Party is wanting to expand SCHIP out of the goodness of their hearts or because they love the children more the the GOP? I don't think so. As Cyni pointed out elsewhere - both parties use and abuse sheeple individuals to get elected, to get more power and then the sheeple are discarded and forgotten like yesterday's newspaper.

You're a Ron Paul supporter, yes? Ron Paul voted "no" to expand the SCHIP program. You think Ron Paul who is an obgyn hates kids and that's why he voted "no"? No it's more likely that he knows how the intent of the SCHIP 1997 legislation has been totally lost/ misused - SCHIP was set up by bipartisan votes to specifically help impoverished children of indigent families. States like Maryland don't even do a means test before they shell out $ - Baltimore has countless #'s of impoverished children but the Maryland officials gave $ designated for impoverished children in the state to the Frosts who own 2 properties and an SUV - does that seem right? - some states have even given SCHIP money holus bolus to adults - does that seem right? I read recently that one of the big cheerleaders for expanded SCHIP is the Governor of New Jersey - dumteedum -my taxpayer antennae go up whenever I hear that a NJ politician is a booster for an entitlement program.

scrapper2  posted on  2007-10-12   20:15:55 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

But what is unforgiveable in my mind is that the Frost parents let their child be used as a pawn by the Dem Party to promote a political agenda. The Frosts knowingly let their son be USED by political hacks exposing him to public scrutiny. Would you do that to your kid?

I agree with you completely, all your comments regarding this topic, scrapper2, and at the top of the list of what I've quoted above.

One of the articles I read had the momma saying she wanted to promote the program......but then she sends her little boy out to be the poster boy. No doubt, expecting that no one would pick on a kid. And I don't see that they're picking on the kid......but the parents are getting their asses handed to them.

I loathe and despise both of the political parties for how they use photo-op sessions to try to oneupsman the other guy. The parties could give a rats ass about that boy; its just a game.

Suddenly 'everyone' is wanting universal health care. You'd think no one ever heard a thing about the veterans administration medical system, or the shut downs of facilities in Canada at various times because the money isn't there. Or that Oregon's great medical system is so good--cepting there is a growing list of what is NOT taken care of.

Universal health care will not stop the coming across the border for freebie care--after all, it is just 'government funds'--they pluck it off trees over in the National Botanical Garden, I reckon.

I seem to recall that cigarette taxes went up tremendously to pay for the CHIP program to cover poor kids. Non smokers got out of paying for that. With smoking on the downward spiral, what sort of funding mechanism is gonna be in place? Tax hikes, ya think?

Funny thing about all these 'estimated costs........back when the democraps set up mediscare, it was so jokingly underestimated, it was sinful. But the republocraps are no better--the liar in chief's idea of free drugs for the elderly only costing 'x' was debunked when the acturials showed it would be more like "XXXX".

So, no doubt, we'll be paying taxes in the range of 70 - 90% before long. Perhaps then we will be given the choice of our employer actually being a part of government, and they will just issue a check to us based on what they think we should have. I do believe it was a leading democrap who indicated the people were not capable of handling their own money.

rowdee  posted on  2007-10-12   20:53:13 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Suddenly 'everyone' is wanting universal health care.

Health insurance rates have skyrocketed in recent years.

Americans are paying more than other nations and getting less.

The elderly are well taken care of, why not children?
the Medicare prescription drug benefit cost the federal government about $50 billion in fiscal year 2007, according to Brian Riedl, senior budget analyst with the Heritage Foundation. That funding level is about six times what the vetoed SCHIP compromise bill would have cost this fiscal year, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate (Reilly, Mobile Press-Register, 10/11).

robin  posted on  2007-10-12   21:03:22 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

What the hell question is that? Elderly pay for insurance premiums--comes out of their checks automatically. The feds may have paid $50 billion, but the elderly are making up the difference--they pay for the premiums for the insurance, with few exceptions based on very low incomes. [How this guy has any idea how much they spent for a fiscal year only technically closed 12 days will be interesting to learn, I'm sure].

CHIPS is funded, if not totally by cigarette or tobacco taxes, has a large chunk of it funded by smokers who are NOT children nor the parents of these kids.

I know all about insurance having skyrocketed. I know what happened with my insurance. I also know about how people make choices.

I know I did when I was a mother with small kids. I lived on popcorn and jello for a week or so in order that my kids got the nutritious foods. BFD.....you do what you have to do--unless of course, you want the nanny state taking care of cradle to grave.

I know what the VA system has done to veterans and their families. I read what happens in Canada. I know about the 12 - 20 - 30 million aliens flooding the nation here who use up valuable dollars. I've read about Oregon's only paying for certain things.......the list gets reduced all the time as to what they can afford to do.

Get government out of the business and see what happens. Get the illegals out of here and see how costs get handled.......hospitals, doctors, clinics, etc., have to make up the non-payers with payers. And when the feds quit demanding that every insurance policy cover pregnancy or warts on nipples or whatever the hell they demand next, premium rates will go down. Women who have gone through menopause don't need prenancy coverage. If I want mammogram coverage, I can have it included in the policy I buy. If I want mental health care, likewise.

What will happen when this universal care comes thru is this.........the interest on the national debt is taken care of first........then there will be this monstrous entitlement.......then there will be nothing left. For sure we won't be starting any wars, cause there would not be a way to fund them.

When you have a government that makes it a part of law that you can't import drugs because they are cheaper, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. And you want this same government to handle YOUR health care? Or your kids? Or grandkids?

rowdee  posted on  2007-10-12   21:44:41 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

#79. To: rowdee (#78)

CHIPS is funded, if not totally by cigarette or tobacco taxes, has a large chunk of it funded by smokers who are NOT children nor the parents of these kids.

That's why I think we should tax Israelis and make them sell ham to Persians, while singing and/or crawling along the edge of a razor.

Dakmar  posted on  2007-10-12 21:57:29 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I'm sorry, that wasn't exactly a straight answer, was it?

Do you ever post at LP? If do, please tell byelstin I said "Trouble go away at nigh', an' Nell caw Mi'i - an' Nell an' Mi'i - ye', Nell an' Mi'i - like t'ee in the way!". will you?

Dakmar  posted on  2007-10-12 22:01:20 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

When you have a government that makes it a part of law that you can't import drugs because they are cheaper, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG.

Govt. does not equal Bush/DeLay. This was a giveaway to the HMO/Pharma conspiracy. Remember one guy was threatened that if his kid ran for his office, they would finance someone else to run against him in the primary and give him hundreds of thousands of dollars? And the poor sap caved.

There is something wrong, alright. It's called Republicans.

Mekons4  posted on  2007-10-12 22:05:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

What the hell question is that? Elderly pay for insurance premiums--comes out of their checks automatically. The feds may have paid $50 billion, but the elderly are making up the difference--they pay for the premiums for the insurance, with few exceptions based on very low incomes. [How this guy has any idea how much they spent for a fiscal year only technically closed 12 days will be interesting to learn, I'm sure].

CHIPS is funded, if not totally by cigarette or tobacco taxes, has a large chunk of it funded by smokers who are NOT children nor the parents of these kids.

I know all about insurance having skyrocketed. I know what happened with my insurance. I also know about how people make choices.

I know I did when I was a mother with small kids. I lived on popcorn and jello for a week or so in order that my kids got the nutritious foods. BFD.....you do what you have to do--unless of course, you want the nanny state taking care of cradle to grave.

I know what the VA system has done to veterans and their families. I read what happens in Canada. I know about the 12 - 20 - 30 million aliens flooding the nation here who use up valuable dollars. I've read about Oregon's only paying for certain things.......the list gets reduced all the time as to what they can afford to do.

Get government out of the business and see what happens. Get the illegals out of here and see how costs get handled.......hospitals, doctors, clinics, etc., have to make up the non-payers with payers. And when the feds quit demanding that every insurance policy cover pregnancy or warts on nipples or whatever the hell they demand next, premium rates will go down. Women who have gone through menopause don't need prenancy coverage. If I want mammogram coverage, I can have it included in the policy I buy. If I want mental health care, likewise.

What will happen when this universal care comes thru is this.........the interest on the national debt is taken care of first........then there will be this monstrous entitlement.......then there will be nothing left. For sure we won't be starting any wars, cause there would not be a way to fund them.

When you have a government that makes it a part of law that you can't import drugs because they are cheaper, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. And you want this same government to handle YOUR health care? Or your kids? Or grandkids?

Thank you for your EXCELLENT post, rowdee.

Pinging everyone to read rowdee's insightful post. A voice of wisdom and experience rings through loud and clear! You go, girl!

scrapper2  posted on  2007-10-12 22:35:52 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

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